Starlight and Daggers
by Art Of Words
Summary: The most unexpected thing to expect on an expected journey. Follows Kili and Tauriel's story from when the company of Thorin Oakenshield first enter the Woodland Realm, and ends atop Raven Hill. This will be the first installment to a three part story, the second and third being two alternative endings.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to its respective owners. I am making no money from this.**

The Elven Gate

As they neared the gate, he was suddenly filled with apprehension. The Elven Gate was not so much a gate, but rather an arch comprised of the twisted limbs of sickly looking trees. Though he would not voice his doubts out loud about their current route, if there was a way around the diseased looking forest, he would gladly take it.

Funny, he thought. A mere few months ago he would not have hesitated to enter the forest. Though being hunted by a pack of orcs did make one a little less reckless.

He smiled.

His mother would be proud.

As he dismounted his pony and retrieved his things, he heard Bilbo voice his thoughts.

"This forest feels…sick. As though a disease lies upon it. Is there no way around?"

Kili held his breath.

"Not unless we go two hundred miles North or twice that distance South," answered the wizard.

Swallowing his fears ,they entered Mirkwood, without Gandalf the Grey (he always seemed to be running off at the most inconvenient of times).

But who knew? Perhaps Kili's greatest adventure yet lay within the woodland realm's borders.

He didn't know how right he was.

Tauriel

Her spirits were high despite the imminent threat of spiders. Tauriel and Legolas decided to take twice as many members of the guard with them that morning than what they usually would for patrolling the borders of Mirkwood. On a normal day, two members would be paired together and sent to patrol a portion of the border, but today was not a normal day.

Today they were hunting spiders.

She would have much rather preferred being allowed beyond the confines of her forest and destroying them at their source, but the guard was only permitted to destroy the nests which were within the perimeter of their home.

They cleared the area of nests but a week prior, and yet it had to be done again.

The spiders were growing bolder.

The guard of woodland elves stayed off of the ground, for the spiders were easier to spot from within the leafy canopy , and the foul creatures were known within the kingdom for their stealth. An ambush from above on the captain, her prince, and her guard would not be appreciated.

Legolas came to a sudden halt in front of her, and she had to grip the trunk of a tree to keep her momentum from sending both her and the price out of the tree and toppling to the ground.

"_Legolas, what is it?"_

_"__Listen. Do you not hear it?"_

Yes, now she did. Legolas had always had superior hearing to herself (though only just), a fact which he never let her forget, much to her chagrin.

_" __There is a commotion in the East. Though the accents are unfamiliar to me."_

_"__Yes, they would be. For not even I, have seen or heard such creators in more than two centuries."_

His expression seemed far away, his eyes gazing into the past.

Tauriel waited for an explanation.

The blonde elf looked at her then, his usually beautiful features having being tainted by disgust.

_"__Dwarves."_

Kili

At first he thought Gandalf was being overly dramatic ( the wizard did have a bit of a dramatic flair about him, didn't he?) ,when he spoke of the forest _not being the greenwood of old_ and_the very air being heavy with illusion_. The youngest of the Durin's had never heard of a forest _intentionally _leading one astray, the thought was absurd.

But oh, how very wrong he was.

In the beginning it had been merely confusing, but he trusted Thorin and Dwalin to keep them all on the right track.

But then the air became…_suffocating. _

It seemed as though the more that he gulped into his lungs, the less of it there seemed to be.

Oin began to complain that he needed air, that his head was swimming,(_you and me both)_ but Thorin merely told them to press on.

When Nori stopped however , Kili's worst fear since entering the Woodland Realm was confirmed in four short words :

"_We've lost the path."_

That's when everything began to go gravely wrong.

Forwards became backwards, up became down, and try as hard as they might, they could not find the path.

Kili remained close to his brother, though given the current circumstances, that was a feat on its own.

That's when the spiders arrived.

Though they didn't so much arrive, as _ambush._

They made embarrassingly quick work of the company.

However, the spiders had not anticipated the dwarves secret weapon: _Master Burglar Boggins._

Yet again, Kili was immensely grateful for the little hobbit, though he was not as grateful for the fall back to earth. But, it was a glaringly better option when being compared to being an obscenely large spider's dinner.

Having not yet fully recovered from having the wind knocked out of him, Kili along with his brother and Bofur, quickly ...erm …_dismantled _a six legged beast which had decided that poor Bombur was the softest target.

There seemed to be a never ending stream of the vile creatures. For every one Kili killed, two more took its place in the fight.

While the others slashed, he expertly wielded his bow. In this way , he could deal with the spiders before they became an imminent threat.

He suddenly heard his brother call out to him. He spun around instantly, but not before taking down a particularly nasty-looking over grown insect who currently held Balin's attention.

He slid under a spider and towards his brother's general direction, but before he could congratulate himself on his suave move, two pairs of arms which felt as though they were made of stone slammed into his chest and wrapped around him like a gruesome prison.

Though his enemy may have been physically stronger and larger, Kili was much faster and smarter. He quickly spun around and thrust himself out of the beast's arms by dropping to the ground. He rolled out of the fall and unsheathed his sword in one swift motion, before finally ending the horrid being.

Almost instantly, however, another took it's place.

Screaming in frustration, Kili set to work.

His body had begun to ache and fatigue was beginning to set in, and to make matters worse, the other dwarves were out of sight.

The beast had finally gotten the persistent prince onto the ground, his weapons out of reach.

Though his body fought valiantly, he heard a small voice in the back of his mind telling him that this was the end.

He refused to believe that voice.

And that was when _she_ arrived.

Kili had managed to get himself into a sitting position, when all at once the spider released its grip on the dwarf. Their was an arrow lodged in its skull.

The rattled prince spun around, wanting to see who had killed his foe, and if perhaps he may be next on the list.

Though when he met the eyes of the elven warrior, he knew in an instant that those were the eyes of someone who would not harm him, and he returned the sentiment.

The moment was ruined by spiders coming up behind both of them, breaking the sudden bond between the dwarf and elf.

" Quick! Throw me a dagger!" Kili yelled at the elleth.

"Quick!" he shouted louder this time, the beast almost upon him.

" If you think I'm giving you a weapon dwarf," she said, almost having finished off her own foe, " You're mistaken."

And with that final statement , she sent one of her daggers into the throat of the creature which had its mouth open and teethed bared, ready to end its prey once and for all.

The vile creature was dead even before her own opponent had hit the ground.

Both panting, their eyes met again. This time, he could look at her properly. And if he hadn't just witnessed first hand how lethal she was, he may have stared at the gorgeous maiden longer than was strictly necessary.

He stared anyway.

Tauriel

" You wouldn't consider just letting me go, would you?"

She stared incredulously at the dwarf whose life she had just saved.

" Actually, no. I wouldn't," she replied with a straight face.

He seemed to be genuinely disappointed, and she felt an unexpected pang of guilt.

"Come on," she said softer than before, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, " I need to escort you back to the others."

"If I must," Kili said, sighing for dramatic effect.

_What a strange little creature._ She thought to herself.

_Though not that little_. She found herself thinking, now that she could fully look at him. Standing next to her, the top of his head came up to her jaw.

Together they made their way back to the clearing. She did not restrain him, they simply walked beside one another.

For a reason she could not explain, she somehow trusted the dwarven prince to not make an attempt at escape.

This day was turning out to be stranger than expected.

Ori

Thank goodness the elves arrived just in the nick of time, he didn't think that the company would still consist of thirteen dwarves and a hobbit if they hadn't arrived when they did.

And he doubly doubted whether or not Kili would have made it, if the crimson haired elf wasn't there to intervene. Though Ori knew that technically she was the enemy, he felt immense gratitude towards her.

Ori looked around him and sighed.

Like most things since the beginning of their journey, they seemed to have been spared just in time to be placed in another predicament.

But he would take elves over spiders any day.

The obscenely tall (well, in the dwarves opinion) beings began to search the company.

A blonde elf with a sour face accused Thorin of being a liar and a thief, before insulting Gloin's family. A dark haired elf looked half incredulous and half annoyed as he pulled yet another blade from one of Fili's inside pockets.

Ori stood on the outskirts of the group, silently taking in the situation.

The she-elf closest to him reacted to the order which was barked at the woodland elves and made her way over to him.

She was not as intimidating as the others ( though intimidating nonetheless), mostly because she appeared to be _younger_ than the rest.

Now,Ori hadn't seen a great many elves ,but all of whom he encountered did by no means appear to be old. But this particular elleth did have a certain air of youth about her.

Her hair also appeared to be less elaborately done, having only been pulled into a high ponytail with a few long strands framing her face and curling slightly where they ended at her waist.

Ori gulped regardless as she came to stand in front of him.

Wordlessly, she extracted all of his knives and swords. Ori didn't say a word. At least, not until she reached into his breast pocket and removed his journal.

" Please don't take it," he said before he could stop himself, innocent eyes pleading.

" What is it, exactly?" she asked, turning the book over in hands.

" Nothing of value but to me. It's a journal, you see. But I also use it for my drawings…" he finished lamely. He felt silly. What would the others think of him if they knew he was pleading with the enemy for a few pieces of parchment bound by leather?

She silently flipped through the book, lips slightly pursed.

Without a word, she closed the book and slipped it back into his coat pocket.

" Do not let me regret it ,dwarf." She said, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth, her brown eyes warm.

" Tha- thank you, milady.." his good manners not allowing him to act otherwise.

She placed a hand on his back and joined the precession of elven warriors and dwarven prisoners into the halls of Mirkwood.

**A/N: Welcome one and all to my brand new story! Thank you for taking the time to read it. I hope you enjoyed the first installment as much as what I enjoyed writing it.**

**I'm usually not one for author's notes, and especially not long ones, but before we get into the story, I'd like to explain my plans (briefly).**

**This first chapter was more of an introduction than anything else. The ****_real_**** story begins from the next chapter. * rings hands together excitedly***

**This is a Kiliel story, although other characters will be making appearance as well (though it will usually just add some comic relief, extra bits to the story or (most likely) to get an outsiders view point of the protagonists' relationship.**

**And lastly (though this is the most important point) I have very ambitious ideas for this story. I know where this is going. I have decided for this to be part of a three- part story. This one will end where BOFTA ends…HOWEVER , there shall be two follow up stories. One in which the line of Durin ends, and one in which they survive (yay!). I will be providing an alternative ending, an option I wish Peter Jackson and Tolkien had given us *sobs***

**I love feedback, and constructive criticism is always appreciated.**

**I apologise for this incredibly long note, but I promise that there will not be another one for some time.**

**Lots of love,**

**ArtOfWords**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Observations

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to its respective owners. I am making no profit from this.**

**Kili**

He was made to stand at the back of the group in between two elves, like the others. Thorin was at the front, the sour faced blonde elf and the fire haired soldier walking on either side of him.

There would be no escaping from the elves.

A thought suddenly occurred to him : if his rescuer was all the way in front, then she must hold a high rank within the elven army. He grinned, feeling a sense of pride.

The grin turned to an expression of utter confusion. _Why on earth would he proud of an elf?_

Shaking his head slightly to clear it, he followed the rest of his kin into the halls of Thrandruil.

Xxx

**Tauriel**

As they reached the gate, Tauriel and Legolas swiftly turned to face the company, backs against the marble pillars. Once inside, Legolas lead them into the dungeons, two elves escorting Thorin to the throne room ,and Tauriel bringing up the rear.

When she had first arrived at Mirkwood as a young elfling, she had found the way in which the guard moved fascinating, as if each member was part of a perfectly synchronized dance.

Now it was merely routine. A routine she was proud to be a part of, but routine nonetheless.

Snapping out of her thoughts ,she addressed the two elves in front of her.

_" __Go and collect the keys, divide the responsibility amongst the two of you."_

They both gave her a stiff nod before taking off.

She would have preferred to keep the keys herself, but it was not the responsibility of the captain.

She found herself walking behind the dark haired dwarf, and without consciously deciding to, she began to stare at his hair.

It was unlike any elf's hair she had encountered, but by no means less appealing.

It was simply, _different._

The unkempt manner in which it fell was foreign to her, and the colours were fascinating. At first glance his hair appeared to merely be brown, but upon closer inspection, one could see the way the different shades wove together, reminding her of her beloved forest in the winter time.

She almost walked into him when the guard began to slow, throwing the dwarves into the cells.

_Really, must they be so harsh?_

Regaining the composer which she almost lost, she escorted him to his cell.

He walked to the final cell and entered it, not offering any resistance to her, unlike the other dwarves.

Her attention was drawn away from the dwarf in question when Finwe removed a knife which he had missed the first time from the blonde dwarf's coat.

Said dwarf groaned more in annoyance than anything else.

" Aren't you going to search me?" said the tall dwarf. " I could have anything down my trousers." He finished, keeping a straight face.

Now, this was by no means behavior she was accustomed to, elves were stoic and respectable, however, Tauriel was young, and perhaps this was why she barely missed a beat before responding.

" Or nothing," she said, maintaining her neutral expression, save for the arch of an eyebrow and the quirk of a lip.

She turned around and walked off, maintaining eye contact with the dwarf for longer than necessary, leaving him with somewhat of a besotted expression on his face. He kept his eyes on her until she was out of sight.

_" __Why does the dwarf stare at you ,Tauriel?" _Legolas asked his closest friend.

_"__Who can say?" _She replied as evenly as possible, covering up the effect which the dwarf in question had had on her.

_"__He is quite tall for a dwarf…_" She muttered mostly to herself.

_"__Don't you think?" _She tacked on hastily, hoping the prince hadn't heard her almost dreamy tone.

" Taller than some, but no less ugly," replied Legolas ,distaste evident in his voice.

_Well, that's certainly debatable, _she thought as she walked off.

She would not dare say it aloud.

Xxx

**Kili**

He knew he was grinning like an idiot as he watched her leave, but he did not care. When he made that stupid remark about his trousers, he didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't _that._ And here he was, thinking elves had no sense of humour.

The smirk was wiped off his face when he saw the elf who permanently seemed to be smelling something foul, approach the object of his interest.

He stood a little too close to her for his liking.

They exchanged a few words, and for the first time in his life, he wished to be able to speak elvish. He somehow just _knew_ that they were discussing him.

Once the she-elf was out of sight, the moody one turned to narrow his eyes at Kili menacingly.

Kili mustered the best Thorin glare he could manage and stared right back at the elf. The dwarven prince was not first to break eye contact.

He figured that he'd already invited an elvish lass to search down his trousers, what harm could possibly be done by glaring at a prissy princess?

Xxx

It had been several minutes since his second encounter with the fire haired elf ( he had decided to disregard the elf with the cold blue eyes altogether) and he was still smiling like a fool.

He was glad that his cell was out of view of all the others, he didn't want them questioning him as to why he seemed so terribly cheerful when their situation looked so grim.

The reason he didn't want them asking was, because quite frankly, he didn't know himself.

An hour later the smile was long gone, having been replaced by boredom.

He sighed and removed his mother's rune stone from his breast pocket. He threw it into the air and caught it. But after about the hundredth flip, he grew tired of that as well.

He leaned his head against the bars of his small cell and looked out at his surroundings.

For a prison, the place was strangely beautiful.

That's elves for you.

He began to watch the comings and goings of the race in question with only mild interest until a particular she-elf caught his attention. And yes, he was sure that this particular elf was in fact female,( he was still fearfully embarrassed about the blunder he had made in Rivendale concerning gender).

It was not that this elf was extraordinarily beautiful or anything of the sort, she was attractive he supposed, but she certainly couldn't hold a candle to the beauty which the flame-headed warrior possessed. But rather that she seemed…_young._

Kili didn't know a great deal about elves, (though he had taken a sudden interest in a particular elf who had saved his sorry arse), but he knew what youth looked like. She was by no means a child, but also not having yet reached maturity. While still having more grace than what Kili could ever hope for, she didn't seem quite as elegant as the rest, as though she hadn't completely gotten used to her gangly limbs.

Only when she turned to look directly at him ( after having felt his eyes on her , no doubt) did he realise that in his boredom he might have been starring for a bit too long.

Instead of glaring at him with the chilly disposition which he had come to expect from these elves, she merely gave him a questioning look, curiosity lined with amusement in her eyes, and then, walked off.

Yes, he thought. Definitely young by elven standards.

With her out of sight, he was plunged back into boredom.

He hoped that the fiery elf would soon return, with her bright green eyes and witty retorts.

Before he could help himself, he began to grin stupidly again.

_Pull yourself together ,Kili._

_She is an elf!_

_An elf!_

Despite the scolding he had given himself, he couldn't wipe the smile off of his face completely.

There were only so many things to think about when locked up in an elvish dungeon, after all.

Xxx

**Tauriel**

She walked purposefully towards the Kings quarters, but hesitated as she neared. She was no stranger to the wrath which Thrandruil could summon, and the fact that the dwarves were still safely behind bars was evidence that the negotiation between the two kings did not go well.

She was still straightening her spine and schooling her features into a neural expression, when she heard her king's voice. " I know you are there. Why do you linger in the shadows?"

"I was coming to report to you," she replied, her crystal clear voice rich in confidence.

She had always been skilled at concealing any feelings of weakness to those around her, King Thrandruil especially.

She did not become Captain of the Guard by being coddled.

" I thought I ordered those nests to be cleared not two moons past." It wasn't a question.

" We cleared the forest as ordered ,my lord. But more spiders keep coming up from the south. They are spawning in the ruins of Dol Guldur, if we can kill them at their source.." she said, stopping her pacing and looking him boldly in the eye.

"That fortress lies beyond our borders," he said ,cutting her off , " keep our lands clear of those foul creatures as that is your task."

The boldness that she was known for suddenly boiled in her veins and spilled from her mouth. " And once we drive them off? What then? Will they not spread to other lands?"

" Other lands , are not my concern."

Before she could stop them, Tauriel's eyes widened in shock at her king's harsh words.

" The fortunes of the world will rise and fall," he continued, "but here in this kingdom, we will endure."

She wanted to argue for what she knew was right, but she knew that there was a thin line between what would be considered passion for their kingdom, and plain disrespect for her king. And so even though it went against ever fibre of her being, she bowed her head and made to leave.

" Legolas said you fought well today."

Regardless of the heavy feeling in her heart, a smile made its way to her face, her eyes brightening considerably.

" He has grown very fond of you."

The smile was replaced by a look of astonishment and dread.

Legolas was her closest friend, if his father( and her king) wished to keep them apart because of suspected feelings, they would be.

" I assure you my lord, Legolas thinks of me as no more than the captain of the guard," she did not meet his gaze.

" Perhaps he did once…now, I'm not so sure."

" I do not think you would allow your son to pledge himself to a lowly Silvan elf, " perhaps she was being too forward, but curiosity got the better of her.

" You're right," he replied casually, "I would not."

Those simple words stung deeply. Because not only did it mean that in the eyes of her king was she not good enough to wed his son, it also meant that despite his years of favouring her and raising her as though she was his own, she would never be good enough to truly be part of his family, regardless of the heights which she had reached.

She was after all, just a lowly Silvan elf.

" Still, he cares about you. Do not give him hope where there is none."

There was no mistaking his tone.

It was an order.

Xxx

Tauriel walked gracefully into the dungeons. It was her shift to guard the dwarves.

Her posture was more rigid than usual, her jaw more clenched. But these were the only signs of her conversation with the king.

_" __Do not give him hope where there is none."_

What exactly did that entail?

She did not have romantic feelings for the elven prince. Though she could admit to herself that she had had a foolish crush on him centuries prior, but that was all it was.

Foolish feelings of infatuation.

Though over time those feelings completely dissipated, their bond was strong.

She loved him, of course. But with the love one would have for a brother. When she lost her family, Legolas and his father became her surrogate family. Taking her in, teaching her, protecting her. And though she had always considered Legolas as her kin, she never truly felt the same way about Thrandruil. This was mostly due to the fact that , like with everyone else, he kept her at arms length. Legolas on the other hand, she grew up with. For a time he was her protector and her teacher, but with time they grew to be comrades in arms, and dearest of friends. Together they led the guard, as Captain and Prince.

The thought of hurting him made her heart clench painfully.

_" __Do not give him hope where there is none."_

But she hadn't been _trying_ to give him hope.

Would this mean that she would have to distance herself from him? From her best friend?

Her eyes began to sting uncharacteristically.

She didn't want to break his heart, but she didn't want to lose him as a friend either.

Accomplishing both tasks, seemed impossible.

But, she would continue her internal battle later. She had a job to do. Her emotions would have to be dealt with at a later stage.

So she slipped on her cool, calm mask ,and locked up her emotions the same way in which she had locked up the dwarves.

Speaking of which.

She had reached the end of the narrow walkway that stretched across the chasm, and had reached the first dwarf's cell.

She spared no more than an indifferent glance at each.

They either glared or scowled, or refused to acknowledge her existence altogether. Except for the first dwarf, with the sweet expression. He had met her eyes and lifted the corners of his mouth slightly. She would be lying if she said she had not been surprised.

She had almost reached the last cell, the cell belonging to the cheeky one.

She suddenly had a funny feeling in her stomach, and she couldn't comprehend why. Nonetheless, she sped up ever so slightly and didn't risk a glance, rather staring straight ahead.

Until he said her name.

"Tauriel."

It wasn't so much that he had said her name ,( though she would have wondered how he had known it regardless),but rather _how_ he had said it.

As though he had been practicing to say it for hours, until it tasted just right on his tongue, caressing it as it left his mouth.

She stopped dead in her tracks, risking a side glance in his general direction.

"How do you know my name?"

" I heard the blonde elf say it while speaking to you, and gathered that it is what you are called."

She gave a small nod before making to walk away, but his voice stopped her again.

" It's beautiful."

She took half a step back to her previous position, but still did not look directly at him.

" What is your name?"

The young dwarf smiled even wider than before.

"Kili."

"Kili," she repeated, the corners of her mouth tugging upwards without her consent. It was also the moment that she met his gaze fully.

As was it the moment that Kili's breath hitched expectantly.

She was even more beautiful when she smiled. He had not thought it possible.

And, of course, it was also when the young elf seemed to appear out of thin air at the opposite side of the chasm, calling out to Tauriel and popping their little bubble.

She said something in Sindarin , and Tauriel nodded before walking away.

He stared at her retreating form until she was out of sight.

He sighed softly. Out of contentment or frustration, he did not know.

Probably both.

The dark haired elf began to retrace Tauriel's previous route.

When she reached Kili's cell, she looked at him curiously, before swiftly carrying on with the task at hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Precious and Pure

**I own didily squat. Except for my own characters.**

**Tauriel**

Tauriel waited patiently at the entrance to the halls of Mirkwood for her shift to be over. Despite tonight being the night of Mereth en Gilith, the guard was still fulfilling its duties; after all, evil didn't sleep.

The party must have already been in full swing when Eswen and Ireth approached her and Rhoeri, punctual as always.

At first Tauriel had been hesitant to pair the two together, for not only were they the youngest members of the guard, but best of friends as well. She worried that their need to constantly compete with one another would interfere with their duties, but at the end Legolas had convinced her to let them have shifts together. After all, there was nothing wrong with some healthy competition.

_"__Just look at us," _he had said with a grin.

Yes, they had been in not-so-secret competition with each other ever since Tauriel could wield a weapon.

She couldn't help but smile as she thought of all the stunts which she had pulled in her younger years, trying to upstage the prince.

But the moment of peace was not to last, as her king's harsh words of earlier infiltrated her thoughts.

Pushing all thoughts of broken hearts and ruined friendships aside, she greeted the elleths who came to relieve her of her duties for the day.

Rhoeri nodded at Eswen and Ireth before bidding the captain goodnight, and left. Though not to the party, she knew. No, he would be retiring to his chambers until his assistance was required. He didn't care much for the company of others. But despite his lack of charisma, he was one of the best warriors Tauriel had yet encountered. Each to his own, she supposed.

_"__Nienna and Aldois will come to relieve you within two hours, then you shall be able to return to the festivities." _She said to Eswen as Ireth took up Rhoeri's previous position.

_"__It is quite the party. Shall you be going there immediately?"_

It was a perfectly innocent question, but the glint in the young elf's eyes made Tauriel raise an eyebrow, it was an expression which graced her features often when dealing with Eswen. The child could be intolerable, working on her very last nerve. She was far too forward to be considered proper, but Tauriel loved her dearly nonetheless. Over the years, she had come to see the young elleth as a younger sister of sorts.

_"__And what do you mean by that, may I ask?"_

_"__I was simply curious as to if you would first check on the dwarves, you seem to have taken interest in one in particular." _

By this time Eswen was full on smirking, the banter between herself and Tauriel a common occurrence (though she'd have to admit that she couldn't remember actually ever _winning_ an argument). But still, it was fun.

_"__Perhaps it would bode better for you if you took interest in your own matters instead. In other words, mind your own business, elfling." _

And to add further insult to injury, she ruffled her hair.

On graceful feet, she spun around and moved through the beautiful wooden doors, leaving a grumbling Eswen desperately trying to right her now unruly hair, in her wake.

Xxx

Standing on the outskirts of the hall, Tauriel had never felt more alone. She cared deeply for her kin, but her current frame of mind could not be more different from theirs. She was plagued with thoughts of the clearly growing darkness and her king who seemed to be perfectly alright with the outside world shriveling up and withering away, as long as their kingdom endured.

_But were they not part of that world?_

Unable to tolerate her dark thoughts in the midst of the festivities any longer, she decided to go for a walk throughout the kingdom.

Without her consent, her feet carried her to where the prisoners were being held.

She could almost see Eswen's smirk.

Regardless ,she carried on in the direction in which she had originally started.

Nearing Kili's cell, her stomach got that funny feeling again. She would have to ponder on that later.

As she arrived at his cell, her curiosity was one again, piqued.

"The stone in your hand, what is it?"

Xxx

**Kili**

He was secretly thrilled to see her again, and so soon. But, instead of showing any such emotions, he opted for teasing her instead.

"It is a talisman," he replied darkly. "A powerful spell lies upon it. If any but a dwarf were too read the runes of this stone…" he trailed off, shaking his head at the very thought. "They would be forever… CURSED." He thrust his arm out, placing said talisman in her direct line of sight.

Eyes widening, she flinched back and made to leave him and any curse associated with him behind.

He would've felt sorry for alarming her, if her adorable facial expression wasn't so amusing (and yes, Kili had come to terms with the fact that he found her attractive, and not just for an elf).

"Or not," he said with a shrug. "Depending on whether or not you believe in that kind of thing. It's just a token," he said, laughing at his own lame attempt at a joke.

He was rewarded with an interested smile for his troubles.

It was payment enough.

"It is a rune stone," he continued. "My mother gave it to me so that I'd remember my promise."

"What promise?"

"That I would come back to her," he said, now somber.

When he realized that a soft smile was all he would be getting as an answer, he decided to elaborate a little.

"She worries," he said with an exaggerated sigh, "she thinks I'm reckless."

"Are you?"

"Nah," he said while tossing the stone into the air. However, the effect was ruined when he dropped his token and it rolled out of the confined space.

Tauriel's foot shot out and stopped the stone's journey before it was lost forever to the gushing waters of Mirkwood.

Kili got to his feet while she picked it up and held it up to the light, admiring the way the light reflected off of it and attempting to make sense of the markings.

Only then did he notice the noise coming from above.

"Sounds like quite the party you're having up there."

"It is Mereth en Gilith, the feast of starlight. All light is sacred to the eldar, but woodelves love best the light of the stars."

"I always thought it was a cold light…remote and far away." _Like you seem to be. Close enough to touch, but only to be admired from afar._

"It memory, _precious _and_pure."_

He was completely enthralled by her.

"Like your promise," she concluded, holding out her hand with his token laying in her palm.

He was so wrapped up in her eyes, he almost didn't notice the tingling sensation in his fingertips when they grazed her hand. Almost.

"I have walk there sometimes, beyond the forest and into the night. I have seen the world fall away, and the white light forever fill the air."

And in that moment, watching her speak so passionately about her beloved stars, he knew that what he was feeling, was something he had never experienced before, and something only a privileged few ever would. He was falling completely and utterly in love.

"I saw a fire moon once," the words suddenly flowing from his lips , " it rose over the pass near Dunlin, _huge. _Red and gold it was, filled the sky. We were an escort for some merchants from Ered Luin, and they were trading in silver work for furs…we took the greenway south, keeping the mountain to our left. And then it appeared, this huge fire moon lighting our path…I wish I could show you."

And looking into her now eye-level face, with her eager expression and twinkling eyes, he wished for nothing more than to have shared that experience with her.

"I'll show you one day," his signature cheeky grin taking over his face.

She laughed softly. "And when exactly would that be, master dwarf?"

"Well, anytime you decide to release me, I suppose." Though the wide smile on his face showed no bitterness towards her for being locked up, in fact, he was rather enjoying the experience.

"You know that that is out of my hands," she replied softly.

"Yes ,I know. Though I will admit that the experience hasn't been all bad."

"No?"

"No, thanks to a certain she-elf who has so graciously allowed me the pleasure of her company." The cheeky grin was back in full force.

"Yes well, it hasn't been all bad for the she-elf either." Her answering smile was almost as cheeky as his.

"Tell me more of your stories," she asked, moving closer to the bars.

"As the lady wishes," he answered, sitting down. He was pleased to see that sitting down they were the same height, his torso making up for the lack of length in his legs.

"You better get comfortable, mi 'lady, for I've acquired quite a bit more over the past year or so…"

Xxx

**Some interesting nonsense:**

**All of the elves names are actual elvish names, apart from Eswen's, which I comprised from elvish sounds.**

**_Ess –_****is the elvish prefix for "bringer".**

**_Wen_****\- meaning youth**

**So, loosely translated, Eswen's means ****_bringer of youth_****. Which I found to be rather appropriate.**

**Blessings,**

**ArtOfWords **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Tales **

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to its respective owners.**

**Tauriel**

Tauriel didn't know how long she had been sitting there with him , but the sounds of the party were dying down, so she'd wager that the sun was a few hours from rising. The thought made her sad, she didn't want to leave him, not just yet. Her face hurt from all the smiling ,and she couldn't remember the last time she laughed so. Probably sometime during her childhood.

"So by the time that we arrived, poor Bilbo already had his hands full with Balin, Dwalin and the rest."

"Who's Bilbo?"

"Oh! I didn't say, did I? He's the hobbit we met along the way."

_Along the way. _What a way it seemed to be_._

"I've never met a hobbit. What are they like?"

"Well, they're placid little creatures, but in times of trouble they are as brave as any of us. Very clean. Excellent manners. Smaller than dwarves, Bilbo comes up to about here for me," he said, gesturing to his chest. "They can move around virtually undetected, that's how quiet they are. And they don't wear shoes, on account that they have really big, really hairy feet."

Tauriel laughed softly.

"They sound fascinating. I hope I get to meet one someday. But seeing as it took me six-hundred years to make the acquaintance of a dwarf, I will have to be patient."

Kili seemed to want to ask something, but didn't seem to know how. She noted how adorable he was when flustered.

"You can ask," she said.

"Ask what?"

"Whatever you so clearly want to ask me."

He met her eyes shyly.

"How old are you?"

Ah. She should have known. For elves, once you reach maturity, age isn't of much importance anymore. They were immortal. What did it really matter? But of course he would want to know. He was a dwarf. One of the mortal races, and they only had a limited time on Arda.

She decided to ignore the clenching feeling in her heart which accompanied the last thought.

"I'm six-hundred years old. Well, six-hundred and four to be exact."

Kili looked at her with a blank expression.

"It's rather young for an elf," she said, suddenly feeling the need to elaborate a little. "Elves only reach maturity at their two-hundredth year..." She was beginning to feel self-conscious in Kili's silence, and began to fiddle with her fingers.

Tauriel.

_Fiddle._

Kili shook his head and gave her a placating smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. It's just, I'm struggling to comprehend the concept of elven age. I fear you will think me a child with my meager seventy-seven years." He looked at the ground and ran a hand through his hair.

Did she make him nervous?

"Of course I don't see you as a child, Kili. I myself am but an infant in the eyes of some of my kin. And besides, despite me exceeding you in years, your adventures far outnumber mine."

"That may be so, but you are still to have a great many adventures of your own, Tauriel. I just know it. And I promised to show you a fire moon someday, remember?" The smile he was giving her did strange things to her heart.

"How could I forget?"

Kili's smile widened, his eyes dancing with light.

"Right," he said, rubbing his hands together. "let's resolve this age nonsense once and for all. If elves reach maturity at two-hundred, and dwarves do at forty…let's use human years as a converting medium…" He began to wright on the ground with his finger, mumbling to himself, seemingly in his own world.

"Aha!" he said, seemingly pleased with his work. "We're about the same age, in human years at least. You're about twenty-eight and I'm about twenty-six."

Tauriel's mouth hung open. Did he just work all that out, in his head?

Kili beamed.

"Not just a pretty face love, not just a pretty face."

Xxx

**Kili**

"No!" Tauriel gasped, half incredulous and half amused.

"Yes!" Kili countered, laughing. "I swear. Three mountain trolls, and may I add that the stories do not do their hideousness justice, had stolen two of the ponies. Fili and I hadn't a clue what to do. Luckily, mister Boggins arrived just in the knick of time. And after a lot of slashing and almost being squashed into jelly, Gandalf cracked a boulder clean in half with his …erm… wand and the sunlight turned them all to stone."

Tauriel laughed and shook her head. "Your mother is right, reckless indeed." Though the soft look in her eyes did not match the reprimand.

"And who is Fili? And did I hear correctly? Gandalf the Grey was part of your company?"

Kili was all too happy to answer her questions.

"Fili is my brother", he said, a proud glint in his eyes. " He's the dashing blonde dwarf with all the knives."

"Oh! Well that makes sense then. I wondered about the dwarf that was giving Linwe so much trouble."

Kili chuckled softly. " Yes well, Fili does have a bit of an affinity for knives. Our uncle is an excellent blacksmith and Fili loves working with the metals. What exactly did you mean by "well that makes sense"? I mean no offense, but people very rarely assume that we are brothers if they don't actually know that we are."

Tauriel looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I suppose the spunk with regard to the knives and the fact that after you mentioned it, you do look rather alike. Although your colouring is different."

Kili smiled. "Aye, though I'm afraid he got all the looks, or at least he likes to think so. Though I've found that being too attractive has its disadvantages, stops you from developing a wicked sense of humour. But , that doesn't seem to be the case with you." He finished with a wink.

Blushing softly, Tauriel decided to ignore that last part. "Why do you say that? I am not aware of what dwarves consider to be beautiful, but I find you by no means unattractive." The words were out of her mouth before she had fully turned them over in her mind.

Her pink cheeks turned a dark shade of crimson as she averted her gaze.

Kili on the other hand , was grinning so widely, his face has I serious danger of splitting.

"So you think I'm beautiful then?"

"I…I don't think you …unattractive." Kili found it endearing how the mighty elven warrior was stumbling over her words, cheeks flushed.

"Wouldn't that be the same as finding me attractive, then?"

Tauriel met his eyes, an exasperated laugh coming from her lips. "You're relentless!"

"Indeed , that would be one of my finer qualities."

Once their laughter died down, Tauriel spoke softly.

"It's interesting that your uncle is a blacksmith, for my father was one as well."

Kili noted the past tense.

"Was?" he asked , the word was out before he could think of its repercussions.

He sensed that Tauriel had immediately erected some wall around her heart, her eyes losing their sparkle, her face becoming stoic.

"S… sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

Tauriel shook her head ,her mouth forming a sad smile, a sigh escaping her lips.

"No no, I must not be so sensitive, my parents have been gone for a long time now."

Kili scooted closer to her before he spoke, fighting the urge to take her hand.

"I do not think you weak for missing your parents, if anything, it makes me think of you as even stronger than what I did before. You must've… must love them dearly. And love is not weakness. It is precious. Something to be treasured and not to be forgotten." He replied ,meaning every word of it.

And in turn, she looked deeply into his eyes, showing more of herself to him in one simple gesture, than what she had to most of her kin in all her years. And all because of one simple reason: he made her feel safe, he made her feel _understood._

She looked at him with such openness, such …affection (dare he hope?) that he wished the bars of his cells were gone , just to be able to hold her tightly in his arms and protect her from the world.

He couldn't remember having ever felt such fierce protectiveness in all his life.

"Would you like to tell me about them?" he asked gently.

"I have never really spoken of my parents," she replied, pushing some hair behind her ear. "But, I think that it's about time that I did." She finished, a genuine smile gracing her features.

**Tauriel**

Kili shifted again, giving her an encouraging smile as he settled ,leaning his shoulder against the bars.

"Well, my father was a blacksmith, as I've already said, and my mother was a healer."

"What were their names?"

"My mother was called Tori, my father Elessar. My mother had the most beautiful hair I've ever seen," she touched her own hair absentmindedly "it was waves of molten chocolate that came up too her knees. Whenever I'd ask too 'braid' her hair ,she'd always let me. Though I'm afraid I mostly just made a mess, knotting and tangling it, but she never reprimanded me for it, she would simply comb it out and have me try again."

Kili listened with interest, a soft smile on his face. "You have your father's hair then?"

Tauriel laughed. "Goodness no, my father had black hair. I do not know where this colour came from, my mother told me that she believed some great ancestor of ours must have had red hair, but none that any of us knew."

A frown creased Kili's brow. "You do not like your hair then?"

"When I was younger I did not, but I have grown to accept it. After all, there are far more important things than physical appearance: honour, bravery, wisdom, kindness, the ability to love deeply…"

"I could not agree more, but you have also been blessed with great beauty, surely you must see that."

Tauriel could feel herself blushing furiously again. Why did he say such things? She knew she possessed some fine qualities, but being beautiful was not one of them.

"Red hair is rare amongst elves, I've never even seen another elf with red hair. And it is not by any means sought after."

"Red hair is much admired amongst dwarves."

"And that is probably why it is not by elves." They gave each other a sad smile then, for the first time since her sitting down to speak with him, did they acknowledge their glaring difference: their race.

Kili changed the topic, no doubt trying to diffuse the sudden awkwardness. "What were they like, your parents?"

Tauriel jumped at the opportunity.

"Good, kind, honourable, wise. My father was rather serious…intense, but I never doubted his love for me, or my mother. My mother on the other hand," she smiled, shook her head slightly, "she was rather…passionate. Some in this kingdom would even say _wild_, by Mirkwood standards at least. She never did anything by halves, whether it be taming her child's unruly hair or treating a patient. Every night once the sun had set we'd climb high into the trees, higher than any mortal or even elf might dare to go. I was never afraid though, to fall I mean, I knew no harm would come to me as long as my mother was with me…" her eyes glazed over, a flash of grief crossing her face, but then she shook her head and continued. "We had to climb that high you see, so that we could reach our 'secret spot'. Not that there was really anything secretive about it, but it was our spot. There was a branch just before one would break the canopy of the trees, a branch so wide and strong that two could lay side by side. We'd spend hours up in that tree, my mother teaching me the constellations, telling me the stories that accompanied them…" Oh how she loved those precious nights, she knew she would cherish them for the rest of her days.

"My father," she smiled wider now " of course knew about our nightly adventures, but my father being my father, didn't want to intrude on our not-so-secret escapades. However, one day I got home after the sun had already set ,but I would not be seeing my stars that night, for my mother had to tend to a few men who had been ambushed along the road…I went up to my room and was met with the most wonderful surprise, my room had been made into a glass dome. The walls ,the ceiling, all glass…but what took my breath away was the awe inspiring view, the stars ,twinkling far above, was on perfect display for me through the thin canopy of trees above our home. It was… spectacular. On my bed there was a small piece of paper, a note, which simply read: _Now you may walk among the stars, even when you do not slumber. Do not forget that you are more precious than them all – Ada." _

Tauriel smiled softly, too caught up in memory to feel the embarrassment of sharing something so intimate with someone she barely knew. But ,all good things must come to an end, and the realization dawned on her. She had stared off into the distance while speaking and now she addressed Kili without meeting his eyes.

"Sorry," she said, shaking her head and chuckling humourlessly "you don't want to know all that, I'm sorry to have bored you."

"Tauriel," he said, obviously wanting her to meet his gaze.

She still did not meet his eyes.

"Tauriel…" he said it softly, carefully, almost…_lovingly._

She looked into his eyes. And that's when she saw it, that soft look in his warm brown eyes. A look she could not name. Even though she would not ponder on it, the word _adoration_ kept echoing in her head.

"… you are the most fascinating creature I have ever met, you could speak gibberish and I would sit here in silent awe. Sharing something as intimate as your love for your parents and their love for you…it is not something I take lightly. I feel honoured that you would choose to share something like that with me, of all people. …thank you."

"Oh Kili, but it's so easy with you...almost freeing"

_And that's what terrifies me_.

Xxx

**Kili**

After Tauriel had spoken of her parents (something which he felt deeply honoured about) he had told tales of his own: of his childhood, the blue mountains, the mischief he and Fili got up too. He spoke of Thorin, what it was like being third in line to a throne which was currently occupied by a dragon, in a kingdom he had never laid eyes on. Once he started, he didn't seem to have been able to stop.

But as his eyes caught sight of a stray ray of sunlight which had somehow made its way through a crevice in the ceiling, and watched it land on a strand of Tauriel's hair, he knew their conversation would soon be over. They had spoken through the entire night.

No doubt noticing the same thing, Tauriel delivered the blow , "I should go."

"No! I mean…" he suddenly felt desperate "you don't have to. Unless of course you want to…what I mean to say is," he really was making a royal fool of himself, wasn't he? "you don't need to go if you don't want to. I rather enjoy your company."

She seemed unfazed by his blabbering, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth the only clue that she had heard him.

"My patrol starts soon, and I'm afraid I haven't let you get a wink of sleep."

"I'd gladly give up sleep for the rest of my life if it meant spending my nights with you."

Tauriel merely shook her head.

"You regard me too highly, I am but a lowly Silvan elf."

"There is nothing lowly about you, Tauriel. You are brave and kind and beautiful. Please, never forget that. You are by no means lowly."

"You speak so freely of what you think of me."

Kili shook his head, smiled.

"It's the only way I know how, and I do not regret it. I only regret that you do not seem to already know these things yourself."

"You are so kind and gracious ,Kili. You will make a wonderful prince, and if need be, king."

"Why does it sound as though you are bidding me farewell?"

"Not farewell, just goodbye. I somehow do not doubt our paths crossing again. And besides, you still need to show me that firemoon, remember?"

"How could I not?"

More sunlight fell onto Tauriel's hair ,making her fiery locks come alive, seeming to dance when she turned her head.

He so desperately wanted to touch it.

"Until then, Kili, Prince of Erebor."

"Goodbye ,Tauriel, Daughter of The Forest."

They shared one last smile, and then she left. Taking a piece of his heart with her.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Ingenious Escape Routes

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. (Though I am now the proud owner of The Battle of the Five Armies dvd ****J****)**

**A/N: I just wanted to mention that regarding the POV swaps, that when a sentence ends and immediately thereafter is a character's name in bold, for example :**

** "****How could I forget?" said Tauriel.**

**Kili**

**Then it means that there was no time jump, the story is just being told from a different perspective now. However, if there is an xxx before the name, then there was a time jump, however slight. For example **

**"****How could I forget?" said Tauriel.**

**Xxx**

**Kili**

**Right, and with my boring author's note out of the way, on with the story!**

**Elros**

"These empty barrels should've been sent back to Escaroth hours ago, the bargeman will be waiting for them" he swore Aldois was becoming lazier by the day.

Some may wonder why the Guard was responsible for the relocation of barrels, but simply put, this fell under their jurisdiction as well, because they were in charge of anything which entered or exited Mirkwood. The higher ups of course didn't see to this themselves, being far too busy hunting spiders than seeing to some barrels, but it was an important task nonetheless, even being a job for the lower ranking elves.

Though perhaps he would not be counting himself as one of them for much longer, Tauriel's increasing faith in him was apparent with every passing day. The tasks she assigned to him were simple, but he did them to the best of his ability. Tauriel was nothing but thorough, and one had to prove oneself to her in the small things before being permitted to take part in the more important going-ons of the kingdom.

Tauriel had always been prudent in her assignment to tasks, being sure that one was ready for it. Too some it seemed relentless, but those in the guard knew how misplaced faith could end in disaster. Poor Eswen's first escapades into the forest, which had almost ended in tragedy, was a reminder of that for them all. Tauriel had beaten herself up about it for months, even after Eswen had fully recovered. He didn't know what was stronger, Tauriel's guilt or Eswen's embarrassment. Both emotions were misplaced of course, how could anyone have predicted a pack of orcs seemingly coming out of nowhere?

The growing darkness worried him, as he knew it did the captain. She truly was a wonderful leader, if only their king could stop being so naïve to their circumstances. Perhaps if he experienced it first-hand as they did every day in the forest, he would see sense.

Aldois appeared in the cellar, holding a bottle of wine as though it was the most exquisite thing he had ever encountered, and Elros was immediately snapped out of his thoughts.

And filled with irritation.

He himself enjoyed drink just as much as the next elf, but it was no secret that Aldois had a bit of a problem not unrelated to thirst.

"You can say what you want about our ill-tempered king; he has excellent taste in wine."

And then he promptly drank straight from the bottle.

"Come Elros, try it."

He knew that it was a bad idea simply because Aldois had said it. Nevertheless, he countered.

"I have the dwarves in my charge."

"They're locked up where can they go?"

This was Filran, one of his dearest friends, and coming from his mouth, it didn't seem like such a bad idea. The wine did look delicious.

Later, he would blame the stench of the drink that clouded his judgement. But, that would be but an afterthought to the onslaught of regret his stupidity had caused.

Xxx

**Bilbo**

Steal the keys. Free the company. Steal the keys. Free the company.

He repeated it over and over again in his head, building up courage. But, standing there in the cellar, with nothing but the peculiar ring hiding him, he felt he was rather short on courage.

_Pull yourself together, Bilbo! The company needs you._

If he wasn't so utterly terrified at the prospect of stealing the keys right out from under the elven guards' noses, he would be able to admit how thrilling it actually was.

Squaring his shoulders, his nose twitching in anticipation, he reached out and took the keys.

Perhaps Gandalf was right; he was indeed turning into a fine burglar.

Xxx

**Fili**

"I'd wager the sun is on the rise," came Bofur's voice through the dungeon. "Must be nearly dawn."

The hopelessness in his voice was of the same brand as in Fili's heart.

"We're never gonna reach the mountain, are we?" This was Ori's voice, filled with innocence.

Fili sighed. Shoulders slumped in defeat.

He thought of Ori, and how he would never know the once great dwarven kingdom has his home.

He thought of the others, and how they would never reclaim the home they once had.

He thought of his brave and noble uncle, and how he would never sit on his rightful throne.

But mostly, he thought of his brother. They had both grown up on tales of the mountain, tales their uncle, mother and Balin had told them. They had both longed to finally being able to roam the halls of Erebor.

He wanted their people united in one great kingdom, ruled by a great king. He would dutifully fulfil all roles as crown prince with honour, wanting to serve instead of being served more than anything. He would keep Kili out of trouble in his spare time. Though the rate at which his dear little brother was maturing over the quest was baffling, so perhaps that wouldn't have been necessary.

But mostly he had wanted his friends and family together, safe and happy.

He felt as though he had failed them all.

But of course it was right in the middle of Fili's dreary inner monologue, that Bilbo made an appearance.

Jingling the keys in his hand.

The surge of gratitude that flowed from his heart and outwards towards the hobbit, was unimaginable.

They would reclaim their homeland yet.

Xxx

**Kili**

When Bilbo reached his cell with the keys, he was more than happy to step out of the confined space. He was eager to stretch his legs and more importantly: reach the mountain.

He shook off the feeling that he was leaving something, or rather _someone_, behind.

Yes, he had felt something deep stir within him as he spoke to Tauriel, but they would be reunited again, once they had reclaimed their homeland and he had something more than just himself to offer her. In the meantime, he would figure out a way to tell his uncle that he had fallen for a Mirkwood elf. There was a conversation he didn't look forward to having.

He dashed up the stairs, sticking an arm out protectively when his brother reached him just in case Fili lost his footing on the narrow ridge.

"Not that way, down here! Follow me!"

Of course, the little creature had just saved their arses, so no one was in any position to argue.

Kili however, began to get a wee bit suspicious as they seemed to be going deeper into the kingdom, instead of out. But, he bit his tongue and faithfully followed the company. After all, Bilbo had had the whole night to scout the place out.

It was only when he realized that they were in the cellars and saw two guards sleeping on a nearby table, that he finally found his voice.

"I don't believe it, we're in the cellars!" he scream whispered.

"You're supposed to be leading us out, not further in!"

_My thoughts exactly, Bofur._

But, they were seemingly trapped down here, and having no other option than to follow Bilbo, they did just that.

However, when Bilbo started going on about getting into the barrels (what a stupid idea, they would surely be found) that Kili really started questioning the hobbit's judgment.

"Do as he says."

Even though he was whispering, Thorin's authoritative voice got them all moving, into none other than the barrels.

Firmly inside the barrel next to Fili's, Bofur voiced everyone's question: "What do we do now?"

"Hold your breath," came Bilbo's answer.

"Hold me breath?"

And with a crank of a lever and the tilt of a plank, the fun really started.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I still own diddily squat**

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to everyone who has followed and favourited my little story, it truly means a lot to me. Also, extra big thank you to my reviewers:**

**KHB123, Celebrisillweth, Butterbum and Hawk-Knight, keep doing what you doing.**

Chapter 6: Less Wise, More Dangerous

**Bilbo**

If he hadn't known that dwarves were practically made from stone, he might've worried over their decent into the water, the water was a bit lower down than what he'd initially thought. But they would be just fine.

Watching the final barrel drop, he silently patted himself on the back, appreciating his own ingenious idea.

Right, now all he had to do was get into a barrel of his own and pull the lever again and…he realized that that wouldn't work because: A there were no more barrels and B there was no one to pull the lever for him. And as if to add insult to injury, he could hear the guards approaching as well.

But Bilbo Baggins liked to think that he had grown as a hobbit over the past few months (mentally and emotionally of course, he had reached his full potential height wise) and had come to the conclusion that the problem was never in fact the problem, but rather how you handled the problem.

Now, if he could just get the floor to tilt downwards again, he could swim to the company and get into a spare barrel…

When had he become so brave?

Nevertheless, he started (silently) hopping on the floor, begging it to give way, but to no avail.

The voices were coming closer.

He jumped harder.

Closer. Shouts. Angry, elvish shouts.

_Come on, come on ,come on_! He chanted in his head as he jumped frantically, no longer caring if he was heard or not.

The voices were right around the corner. The loudest voice was most definitely that of a woman, the captain of the guard most likely.

Terrified, his feet began to carry him backwards, and that was when the most peculiar thing happened. The floor tilted downwards at a 45 degree angle, and his hairy little feet provided little resistance, next thing he knew he was out of the cellar and into the water. The last he saw of the elves was the angry (and maybe even impressed?) face of the red headed elf. He did not regret breaking his friends out of the halls of the woodland realm, but he did feel a pang of guilt when looking at the she elf. He just made her day so much more troublesome than what it already was.

**Ori**

He didn't like this. He didn't like it at all. He never liked water, not even as a dwarfling. Kili used to tease him that he couldn't swim. Of course he could swim! But that didn't mean that he had to like it.

But this little dwarf was nothing if not brave, and early on in this venture he vowed to show courage, and to be an asset, not a liability. And so he found himself hanging on to his barrel for dear life. At least the flow of the river seemed quite gentle…

"HOLD OOOON!" yelled Thorin from the front.

Ori swallowed hard, and held onto his barrel with such might, he could feel the wood moan beneath his hands.

_Oh dear, we've really done it this time._

**Kili**

He wouldn't lie, he was having the absolute time of his life.

The water was a little cold, but he needed a bath anyway. His only concern was that Bilbo couldn't quite get a grip on Bombur's barrel…

Just when he thought it couldn't get any better, they went hurtling over a waterfall. He skillfully navigated his barrel when they landed back in the water, avoiding the rocks as best he could.

The sound of a horn rang through the air, dampening (excuse the pun) his mood. The elves were onto them, and that could only mean trouble. Unless it was one elf in particular, but…

Nearing the gate, he could see an elf making a wild dash up the stairs to a lever, a lever that would no doubt seal the gate and trap them inside.

The gate closed as Thorin reached it.

_Bugger._

The elves unsheathed their swords, readying for a fight. They barely had time to raise their weapons before an arrow was lodged into each of their necks, sending them hurtling into the water and onto the dwarves.

Their orc friends had found them.

_Brilliant._

The orcs began to not only attack the elves, but the dwarves as well. Mind you, they were holding their own, Bilbo stabbed an orc that got to close with his little letter opener and Dwalin was head butting a fair few to death. But they couldn't stay here. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel.

He spotted the lever and got an idea.

**Fili**

Amidst the chaos, he saw his brother getting out of his barrel.

"Kili, what are you doing? Stay down!"

"I have an idea."

Following his brother's gaze, he understood.

He held his barrel steady as Kili used it to launch himself out of the water and onto the stone platform.

His little brother was almost instantly accosted by an orc, but he skillfully ducked out of the way, catching the sword Dwalin threw at him and ending the miserable creature's life.

As Kili ran up the stairs, fighting another orc as he went, Fili threw a knife which he pulled out of a dead elf's chest and speared the orc right in the eye. He promised his mother to look out for her youngest, and he intended to do just that.

Mere metres from his destination, Kili froze, and so did Fili.

His brother had an arrow sticking out of his leg. But something was wrong. His brother had injured himself numerous times, but he had never frozen in pain. Pain never shut his brother down. Never.

"Kili!"

Stumbling forward, Kili grabbed the lever, but did not seem to possess the strength to pull it. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Collapsing from what appeared to be pain, another orc went in for the kill.

Fili had never before, felt such fear as he did then.

**Tauriel**

She saw a dark haired dwarf collapse to the ground. Her dwarf.

Without making a conscious decision, she slipped into warrior mode. She withdrew an arrow, notched it and fired it at the oncoming orc before he even noticed her presence.

Kili spun around and their eyes met, just like in the forest. _That's the second time I've saved you, dwarf._

She notched another arrow and sent it flying into the chest of an orc. And then another. And then another.

She was in her element. Never did she feel as comfortable in her own skin as when she was in a fight, bow in hand. She did not know what that said about her as an individual, but for the moment, she did not care. She had saved him. She had saved Kili.

The orcs were now too close to be able to be dealt with with a bow and arrow, so she unsheathed her sword.

Slamming her left arm into an orc's chest, she decapitated it with the sword in her right hand.

**Legolas**

He was not fluent in Black Speech, but he understood enough to know what the leader had commanded.

_Kill her! Kill the she-elf!_

_Over my dead body._ With that thought, he sent an arrow straight through the skull of the nearest foul creature. In the next breath, he dealt with another. With his white knife in hand for close combat, and his bow in his other hand, he was equal parts gracious, and deadly.

**Kili**

She had saved him. Again. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Twirling her daggers, her green eyes flashing and her red hair whipping around her, it was _impossible_ to take one's eyes off of her.

He shook himself out of his awestruck state and made for the lever. Pulling himself up by the stairs, saying that his leg felt as though it was on fire was an understatement. His entire body seemed to pulse and throb with every move that he made, and with a scream of frustration and agony, he finally got the blasted lever down.

The company squeezed through the gate as Kili collapsed in pain.

Gritting his teeth, he dragged his thrumming body to the edge of the ledge and with a grunt he pushed himself off, and fell into the barrel, snapping the protruding arrow in the process.

**Tauriel**

_Mind yourself. Focus on your own fight._ She repeated the words which she had drilled into the heads of countless members of the guard. Never had she struggled so to follow her own rule. But of course, she never had to worry about_ him_ before.

She was doing incredibly well for someone who was painfully aware of a certain dwarf's whereabouts.

Until he cried out.

Her attention was drawn away from the fight long enough for an orc to gain the upper hand, but she came to her senses and disposed of it quickly.

She watched as the dwarves were carried away by the strong current, orcish arrows flying in their direction. Miraculously, other than Kili, none of them seemed to be injured.

Hacking her way through mutilated flesh, Tauriel along with the prince ascended the wall which separated Mirkwood from the rest of the world and jumped over, firing arrows at anything that moved which wasn't in the water.

The elves made quick work of the orcs in their path, but she had to admit, so did the dwarves. And they didn't even have proper weapons. She felt guilt clench her chest as to why they didn't have weapons, but reminded herself that they weren't supposed to be escaping in the first place.

**Bombur**

The metal spear acted as a catapult, sending him hurtling into orc after orc. Once the barrel finally stopped moving, his arms and legs shot out, weapons at hand. Within a few moments, he went from flattening their foes the good old fashion way, to dicing them up. He resembled something of a spinning top assassin.

**Dwalin**

What nerve that fairy princess had! Using their heads as a means of crossing the river! Regardless of their circumstance, it was completely uncalled for. He didn't think that he'd ever live down the humiliation of being a woodland sprite's glorified foot rest.

**Thorin**

He did not know why he sacrificed his only weapon to save the life of the filthy elven prince. He had not deliberated before hurling the spear through the air and into the orc's chest. What he did know, however, was this: He would not ponder on his misplaced kindness.

**Tauriel**

The orc let flew an arrow. Her own snapped it in half before it could reach its intended destination. Her dagger was at the orc's throat within seconds.

_"__Tauriel! Wait. This one we keep alive."_

**Well, that's chapter six! I'd love to get some feedback, as I've never written anything from so many POVs before. Also, I'd like to know if you thought everyone was in character.**

**Lots of Love,**

**ArtOfWords xxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

**Chapter 7: Snap Decision**

**Tauriel**

_"__Tauriel! Wait. This one we keep alive."_

Legolas approached her and knelt while he fastened the orc's hands with a leather strap behind its back.

"Walk," he demanded as he roughly seized his shoulder, pushing him forward.

"I will go on ahead," she said.

Legolas nodded.

Running ahead, Tauriel stopped when she saw a member of her guard.

"Enola, how many are wounded?"

"A fair few, Captain. And some have passed."

"Who?"

"Bellas, Elashor, Zhoron, Imra, Levos, Esta and Ara"

Each name felt like a knife being plunged into her heart. She had known all of them, some better than others. She had personally trained Levos and Imra, but seemingly not well enough. Guilt twisted painfully in her gut.

"Get those who are injured but who can walk to the infirmary, but you run ahead and send word for Lessien and Naarria for those who cannot. Make haste."

Xxx

"Such is the nature of evil, out there in the vast ignorance of the world, it festers and spreads. A shadow that grows in the dark, a sleepless malice as black as the oncoming wall of night. So it ever was, so will it always be. In time, all foul things come forth," Thrandruil said as he surveyed the kneeling orc with as much distaste as one would have for a rotting corpse.

"You were tracking the company of thirteen dwarves, why?" asked Legolas in his most threatening voice.

"Not thirteen, not anymore," the orc now looked directly at her, "the young one, the black haired archer, we stuck him with a Morgul shaft. The poison is in his blood, he'll be chocking on it soon."

It felt as though her heart had dropped to her stomach, and her stomach had dropped into her shoes. What she said was: "Answer the question, filth!" but she couldn't get that word out of her mind : Morgul Shaft

A few months earlier…

It was her turn to patrol the edge of the forest; Eswen had been assigned to accompany her. It would be good for the young soldier, she had only ever dealt with the spiders in an isolated environment, and it would do her good to get a taste of the real world. Tauriel had no idea how wrong it was all going to go.

They walked along in silence, Tauriel deep in thought of how the darkness was clearly spreading through their home. But the king would not listen. It would seem that he was becoming more paranoid and more determined to hide within his walls by the decade.

An involuntary sigh escaped her lips.

Eswen turned her head to track the sound of displeasure to its source, questioning in her eyes. Tauriel smiled slightly and shook her head in response.

They walked together in amiable silence until the sun began to dip beneath the horizon, and that was when their elf ears heard it: footfalls

Far more than one pair.

Too heavy to belong to a dwarf or man.

Far too heavy to belong to an elf.

Orcs.

They shared a look and without further discussion swung themselves gracefully up into two facing trees.

They were well above the ground, high enough not to be noticed by a passerby, but low enough to attack when necessary.

"Fifteen?" Eswen mouthed at Tauriel.

Tauriel shook her head. "Less," she mouthed back.

Tauriel waited for the orcs to be directly beneath them, nodding and starting their small scale battle.

Though it was only the two of them, they made quick work of the orcs. But when they were each down to their last foe, they realized that they had made a mistake. A grave mistake.

Yes, there had only been ten orcs approaching them at the beginning, but Tauriel thinking that this particular group of orcs were simply some wanderers who had the misfortune of finding themselves on elvish land, hadn't considered that they could have been scouts. Which they were.

Tauriel and Eswen were now surrounded by forty odd orcs and, even by elven standards, that wasn't very good odds.

They fought well together, Tauriel finding her familiar pattern and Eswen desperately trying to utilize her training.

It was all going remarkably well, until they were down to their last handful of orcs. Eswen was preoccupied with her single orc, while Tauriel dealt with three at the same time.

With a grunt of frustration, Tauriel plunged her daggers into two of the orcs chests, but not retrieving them in time to block the attack from the third orc. The orcs swung his ugly, deformed arm straight into her chest, sending her to the ground from the impact. A few more seconds and the orc would've been dead, Tauriel could easily have sent her dagger into its heart, even from her position on the ground.

But Eswen didn't see it like that.

She heard her mentor cry out (she did not realise that it was from frustration, and not pain) and saw her fall to the forest floor. She threw one of her knives into Tauriel's opponent's neck, and watched him slump to the ground in a vile heap of flesh. It was Eswen's opponent's perfect opportunity to strike. And he did.

He slashed at her abdomen, leaving a trail of ripped flesh and blood in its wake. Overcome with pain, Eswen grasped at her side and stomach, staring dumbly at the orc.

One of Tauriel's arrows ended him before he could deliver Eswen's death blow.

Both Eswen and the orc fell to the ground.

Kneeling on the forest floor, clutching her waist, gasping in agony, Eswen felt as though she was being burned alive.

"Move your hands, let me see," said Tauriel as she knelt beside her, pushing her down by her shoulders to lie flat on the ground.

Tauriel cut through Eswen's uniform, and almost emptied the contents of her stomach upon seeing the wound inflicted upon the young elf.

A jagged red line travelled from just above her right hip, across her midsection, and ended just below her left hip. Blood flowed from the wound, but that wasn't what worried Tauriel, it could be easily remedied with some bandages and rest, what worried Tauriel, was the fact that not only was it oozing blood, but also pus which seemed to be mixed with oil. The colour of the substance coming out of Eswen was closer to that of tar than to that of blood. The skin around the wound looked ghastly as well, it was dark blue with black tendrils spider webbing across her abdomen, spreading.

The blade was poisoned. But not with just any poison , Eswen had been cut with a morgul blade. No other poison could spread that fast.

"How bad is it?" asked Eswen from her position on the floor.

"You'll be fine," answered Tauriel, forcing a smile.

Eswen took one look at the captain's face and replied: " I'm going to die, aren't I?"

"Be still and let me work," said Tauriel as she dug around in her satchel for bandages and water.

"Right, this is going to hurt so brace yourself," Eswen nodded and dug her hands into the dirt.

Tauriel poured water over the wounds, and Eswen hissed.

The red haired elf tried her best to clean the cut, but more and more gore kept spilling out. Finally, realizing that the way it was now was as clean as what she was going to get it, she began wrapping her abdomen.

A few excruciating minutes later, Tauriel declared that she was done.

"Alright, help me up and let's get back to the kingdom," said the injured elf.

"Don't be stupid, put your arms around my neck and bend your knees."

"Absolutely not, I'm not letting you carry me as though I were a babe."

"Fine then, stay here and die," said Tauriel, though she was already in the process of picking Eswen up.

Elves are known for being light on their feet, as well as for their strength, so carrying Eswen didn't strain her well trained muscles, but it did slow her down. A lot .

After an hour of running back to the kingdom, Tauriel realized that her front felt wet. Looking down, she saw that it had been soaked through by Eswen's blood. Eswen herself had lost consciousness. Tauriel pushed herself harder.

Eswen began to stir and moan, seeming to be caught up in a hellish dream. Her eyes flashed open with a gasp, and Tauriel almost lost her footing. Eswen's eyes were glazed over, milky and unseeing. It was not long before she began to thrash uncontrollably, and Tauriel's now aching muscles struggled to keep hold of her.

They arrived at the gates not a moment too soon, and Legolas rushed to meet them.

"Tauriel, what…?"

"Get Lessien, Eswen has been gravely wounded by a morgul blade."

Nodding, Legolas took Eswen from his friend and blanched at the blood he saw on Tauriel's uniform.

"It's not mine, it's hers."

Together they ran to the infirmary, and as always the head healer Lessien, was ready when they arrived.

At the end, it took four elves to hold a single, not even fully mature member of the guard down. Lessien worked fervently over her, healing her wounds.

Tauriel held Eswen's shoulders and head down, so she had a clear view of her face. Twisted in agony, eyes wild and unseeing, skin so pale it looked translucent.

In time, Eswen made a full recovery and was back to making mischief. But for Tauriel, her screams of anguish still resounded in her nightmares.

She pictured Kili, Kili who seemed to be made of light, choking on his poison induced screams of utter agony, and her blood boiled. She would not let the one who had kissed her soul die an agonizing death, not while she could do something about it.

Not knowing how, but vowing to save him, she left the kingdom of mirkwood, knowing that she was sacrificing her life as she knew it, for a chance at saving his.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it isn't mine.**

**Chapter 8: Light**

**Tauriel**

She would not admit it to herself, for it made her feel guilty, but a part of her knew that Legolas would follow her, against his better judgement. And it was this small part of her that she refused to acknowledge, that made her not at all surprised when he found her, standing on a rock, overlooking the river where Kili had floated down, and away from her, not too long ago.

He had accepted her reasoning, mostly because it was the absolute truth, who were they to hide and cower, while others who were far less equip were left to fight the growing darkness, alone? She had however left out what had gotten her mind thinking about it in the first place : her dwarf.

She chastised herself at the thought; _He isn't your anything, Tauriel_. Her next train of thought whizzed though her mind before she gave her consent, _But you'd like him to be something of you, and you of him._

She pushed herself harder, stomping down the thoughts under her brown, leather boots.

Xxx

The longer that they ran, the more incompetent she felt. She had been irrational in her decision. Not to save Kili, but by being too hasty in her departure of the forest. She had left with every intention of saving him, but had not even thought as to _how. _She did not think to take any supplies with her, not even water. How was she supposed to help him, if all she had were her daggers and arrows? She would've quite literally kicked herself if Legolas hadn't been right beside her.

Approaching the mouth of the river, they faced a new problem, _how to cross it_. She had already started to pull her hair back and contemplating how much their swim would slow them down, when Legolas stopped her.

_"__Tauriel, there is no need for that. There is a cabin close by housing boats; I shall retrieve one for us."_

Once seated, they began to row in perfect synchronization, but they did not speak, for which she was glad. As they approached the shore of Lake Town, night had already fallen.

They stopped to take in the scene, plan their approach. But when they heard screams coming from somewhere in the middle of the floating town, they knew that the time for deliberation was over.

As they took yet another corner, Tauriel's heart jumped into her throat, the orcs were swarming the little house which she knew housed Kili. Without proper weapons…

Tauriel did what she always did: she turned her fear into fight.

Firing an arrow at an orc who was about to deliver a dwarf's death blow, she fell into a familiar pattern. Running up the narrow steps, she hit an orc square in the chest with her forearm, sending it back over the railing. Unsheathing her daggers, she entered the small house.

Upon entering, she simultaneously slit one of the foul creature's throats while driving her dagger into the heart of the other.

At some point Legolas jumped through the roof, but she was far too busy to notice.

The two elves fell into a familiar dance, and it was as easy as breathing.

A particularly strong orc caught her by surprise, and she was in somewhat of a wrestling match with the disgusting being when a knife pierced its side, ending the creature and the fight, being wielded by none other than Kili himself. Her relief at seeing him was however short lived, for he fell to the floor from the effort of his attack, screaming in agony.

A boy of no more than fifteen drew her attention, " You killed them all," he said in awe.

"There are others," she heard Legolas reply, but it seemed as though she heard him like she had been submerged in water, his voice seemed far away. She could not take her eyes off of Kili.

"Tauriel," his voice was firmer this time, "come."

Meeting his eyes and taking a small step forward, she swallowed hard.

"We are losing him," came the gruff voice of one of the dwarves. And her mind was made up.

She searched Legolas' eyes, pleading with him too understand.

"Tauriel," was his only reply before he left, without her.

Walking to the door, she watched as her oldest friend ran to defeat the orcs on his own. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and it broke her out of her stupor. Drawing her daggers, she was face to face with a terrified dwarf. She didn't have a chance to apologize for scaring him witless, for she saw what he held in his hands:

"Athelas," she breathed.

"What are you doing?" asked the dwarf in the funny hat.

Feeling a relief she did not know possible, she said, "I'm going to save him."

Walking into the house with newfound resolution, she gave out orders as she prepared for what she needed to do.

"I need a bowl and hot water," she said to the eldest girl, "and some bandages," she added to the youngest.

Crushing the athelas between her hands and into the bowel, the other dwarves hoisted Kili onto the table. His screams were gut retching.

"Hold him down," she sounded surprisingly calm considering how her heart was hammering inside of her chest.

Cutting away the fabric that covered the wound, she paled as she saw the damage. Looking up at her dwarf, her eyes met those of his brother's, Fili.

_"__Please," _they seemed to say, and her determination came flooding back.

She chanted as she crushed the leaves between her hands, and continued to chant as she pushed the athelas into his wound, her long fingers spreading over his thigh. Kili in turn began to scream like a wounded animal, and the girls had to aid in keeping him down. Despite her surroundings, Tauriel kept on speaking over him, focusing on nothing but Kili and her ability to heal him.

**Kili **

Pain. Sheer, blinding pain.

A fire which seemed to start in his leg, and then burn up the rest of him.

Surely he must be dead by now; no one could survive this fire. But if he were dead, why could he still feel _so much_ pain? All at once the fire in his leg seemed to intensify beyond reason, beyond anything a man could bear. But, then it got better. The all-consuming pain was still there, but it seemed to be subsiding. But, but there was also something _more. _Something warm, and bright and beautiful. But it was just out of his reach. He somehow knew that if he could grab it and hold onto it, the pain would go away. Grunting with the effort, he willed his hands to move, to reach out and grab it, but he could not. Because it wasn't a physical thing. And besides, it seemed to be reaching for _him_.

It finally did, it touched a part so deep within him, he wasn't even aware of its existence before now. But there was no denying it. The place that it had first touched him, deep within his chest, was now spreading. Whatever it touched, it healed, replacing it with warmth and light. The light inside of him reminded him of something… no _someone. _He fought to get his eyes to focus, he had to see. He had to see _her_.

Little by little she came into view.

_Tauriel._

She was more beautiful than what he remembered. The light engulfing him, it was coming from her. She was bathed in it, glowing like the stars she so dearly loved. Of course it would be her who would save him. Of course… of course…

Though he fought to keep his eyes open, to not break his connection with her, he lost consciousness once more.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Except for the computer which I'm writing this on.**

**Chapter 9: Courage**

**Tauriel **

Tauriel was in the process of tying off Kili's bandage when she heard him say her name.

"Tauriel…" he breathed.

The sound filled her heart. He was alright. _Kili was alright._

"Lie still," she said just as softly, her mouth smiling with relief, her eyes filling with tenderness. She resisted the urge to brush his hair away from his forehead and place her lips there instead.

"You cannot be her…" he uttered. "She is far away…sh…she is far, far away from me. She walks…in starlight in another world. It was just a dream…" he ended with a tone that broke her heart.

_Oh Kili._

She looked down and saw Kili's hand reaching for her own. Even though everything she had ever been taught screamed at her to pull away, she did not. His hands were bigger than hers, his fingers surprisingly long and slender. They gently slipped between her own. She let them.

The touch was almost non-existent, but it was over-powering. She sucked in a shaky breath.

"Do you think she could have loved me?"

_Yes, mellenith._

She did not know whether she was saddened or relieved when he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Xxx

**Kili**

When Kili awoke fully, he found himself in a soft bed. There was another bed to his right, one across from him and a thin wall to his left. It took his still slightly sluggish brain a minute before he realized that he was at the back of Bard's small house, in the children's room. The room was bright and warm, the hearth in the corner the cause of it. But despite his cozy surrounding, he was sad to find himself alone.

"Kili! You're awake!" said Fili, sticking his blonde head around the corner.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," Kili smiled, making to sit up.

"No, lie down. Tauriel said that you need to rest."

"Ta…Tauriel?" Kili said softly, swallowing hard.

"Yes, Tauriel. The elf that saved your life." Fili looked awfully amused about something in respect to his bland statement.

"I said something incredibly stupid to her, didn't I?"

Fili's face turned somber.

"That's yet to be seen."

The atmosphere turned tense for a moment, before Fili knelt beside his brother and grasped his hand in both of his.

"I am so grateful that you are still here, brother," said Fili, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

Kili clasped his brother's hands tighter and rested his forehead against his. "So am I brother, so am I."

"Right, I shall go tell the others that you have awoken," said Fili.

"Is… has she gone?" asked Kili softly.

"No," replied Fili gently, "she is still here."

Fili disappeared into the adjoining room.

Kili, in vain, attempted to make himself look presentable by running his fingers through his hair. He'd never been at all fazed when it came to grooming, not even when his mother used to accuse him of looking like an orc's breakfast.

He knew why he cared now.

Smiling stupidly to himself, he ran his fingers through his hair one last time.

Xxx

**Tauriel**

"He is awake," said the blonde dwarf, Fili.

She nodded and rose from her seat by the door.

It looked as though Fili wanted to say something more, but he merely gave her a small smile.

Before Tauriel entered the small room, she took in a deep breath and straightened her already perfect posture.

"You're awake," she said as she entered.

Kili looked up from the blanket he was picking at and gave her one of his exquisite smiles.

Sitting onto the low stool next to the bed she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Good," he said softly. Everything felt far too delicate to speak any louder.

"Good," she said back. They both chuckled softly.

"You scarred me," she said.

"I scarred myself as well."

She smiled and shook her head.

"Why did you come?" he asked, suddenly serious.

"Because," she said so softly, his ears strained to catch it, "I couldn't let you die."

"Why?"

She smiled a smile that he hadn't seen before; it was a smile meant only for him. "I think you know why."

He sat up straighter, leaning closer to her, and reached for her left hand with both of his. He gently turned her hand over and placed the tips of his fingers in the centre of her palm. She watched his hands, but said nothing. He traced the lines of her palm all the way to her finger tips, all the while cradling her hand in one of his. He turned her hand back over, and kissed it softly.

"Thank you," he whispered huskily.

Their faces were so close; she could feel his breath on her skin.

Summoning all her courage, she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his cheek, she heard his intake of air. The feel of her lips on his rough cheek felt foreign, but instinctive at the same time. He still held one of her hands, but as she pulled away, she used the other to brush the hair from his face. It felt so good, that she let her hand ghost further into his hair, hesitating when she reached his neck.

He removed one of his hands from hers, lifted it to her face. His fingers whispered over her neck before they found their home against her jaw.

"Tauriel…" he breathed.

Their noses brushed against one another, making them both inhale sharply at the intimacy of it all. He brought his mouth closer to hers, his lips a mere a breath away from her slightly parted ones…

They both closed their eyes the moment the earth began to shake.

Tauriel pulled away, hands immediately reaching for her daggers.

Kili felt his heart freeze over. A stark comparison to the heat he had felt a moment earlier.

"What was that?" asked Tauriel, eyes wildly searching the room.

"A dragon."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Peace**

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to its respective owners.**

**Tauriel**

The early morning air was cool against her skin, but not cold. Not for an elf. The sun wasn't up yet, but the sky was beginning to turn a dark blue. There were no stars in sight.

The night had been a long and hard one. One filled with fire and death.

So much death.

She remembered the children's eyes on her, looking for guidance and comfort, trusting her completely. Never had she felt more responsible than at that moment. It felt as though she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. Kili caught her gaze and held it. Nodded. And she felt the load lighten as though it was a physical burden being removed, if only partially.

As the little boat hit the shore, she leaped out. The dwarves hauled themselves out after her, assisting Tilda and Sigrid.

Kili was the last one out of the boat, having refused any help.

Stubborn dwarf.

"Let me have a look at your leg," she said to Kili.

"Nah, that's not necessary. It already feels heaps better."

"I have never dealt with a wound of such severity before, I will feel better if I know that it's healing correctly."

"Whoever said that dwarves are persistent, never met an elf," he said as he leaned against and slid down the trunk of a nearby tree.

Despite Kili's care free demeanor, she felt herself go tense and stiffen.

Kili's smile faltered. "What's wrong? I didn't mean any offense…"

"No no…I know," she offered him a half hearted smile. "It's just…um…I need to look at your leg and-". By now Tauriel was blushing so profusely, she almost felt light headed.

"Oh,"Kili said with a cheeky grin, finally understanding. "Don't worry, I'll have my trousers off in a jiffy." To make matters worse he winked at her. Actually winked.

She spun around to give him some privacy and to hide her embarrassment. She didn't understand why she was suddenly so mortified by the thought of someone needing to disrobe to have an injury inspected. She had been captain of the guard for half a century and she had seen and dealt with many injuries inflicted on the guard, both female and male. Why then was the thought of a bare leg making her so vividly uncomfortable? The sound of fabric being discarded behind her didn't help matters.

"Ahhh...Tauriel? I think I may need some help."

She all but chocked on her own saliva.

"I…I shall go get your brother. Or Bofur. Or-"

Kili roared with laughter. "Don't worry, I'm done. And mostly decent."

She turned around slowly, elf grace having nothing to do with it. She was immensely grateful that there surroundings were mostly deserted, the only sounds being the lake lapping against the shore and the sound of people looking for their loved ones a distance away, at least this way her embarrassment and hesitance was contained to just the two of them.

He lounged against the tree, legs spread out in front of him. He had draped the trousers over his lower body, covering almost everything save for the wound. There was amusement in his eyes. He smiled softly at her.

And suddenly, everything was alright. In their little bubble, they were just fine.

She sat beside him and began to unwrap the bandages from around his leg.

"The rest of your company is inside that mountain, aren't they?"

"Yes,"Kili said softly.

"I must ask," she said, taking in a breath, "did you know? Did you know what would happen?"

"No…not truly. All I ever cared about was reclaiming my homeland. I was naïve. All that time dreaming , journeying, pining…and I never could have imagined this," he ended with a pathetic gesture to the crowds of now homeless people in the distance.

Tauriel looked up from her work. The look in her eyes comforted him more than what any words ever could.

"Tell me, what are the Blue Mountains like?" the change of subject was no doubt intentional.

Kili began to smile instantly.

"It's a wonderful place. Our homes are built into the mountains, but the doors face outwards, much like that of a hobbit hole. We live in clusters close to one another. Our homes are big enough, but not too big to ever feel lonely. Fili and I had the best childhood, there was always someone we could rope in to help us with whatever plan we had cooked up. On midsummers eve there would be fireworks, food, ale and dancing. The stars, Tauriel, I have seen many starry nights, but nothing could ever compare to the heavens above the Blue Mountains. I would want to go back, if only to see them again. I have grown a new appreciation for the constellations as of late." He smiled shyly at her.

She looked up at him and smiled. A full smile. A pure smile.

"It sounds wonderful," she said as she tied off the fresh bandage. "Your leg seems to be healing quite well."

"I could have told you that," he teased gently.

She mock glared at him, squinting her eyes and scrunching up her nose.

"You have freckles,"Kili said matter of factly, his eyes widening in surprise.

Having been teased mercilessly about it as a child, her defenses immediately sprung up.

"Well, it's not as though I can help it."

Kili frowned. "Well, I know that. It's just, I hadn't noticed them before. How, I don't know. They're absolutely adorable."

Tauriel resisted the urge to cover her nose and cheeks from his inquisitive eyes. He appeared to be drinking her in.

"Do you honestly find them attractive?" she asked, flabbergasted.

"Of course I do!"

She shook her head and smiled. "Dwarves."

Kili wrapped a lock of her hair around his fingers and tugged gently on it. Without thinking twice about it, she slid into the space next to him. He turned towards her and brought his fingers up to her face and began ghosting his fingers over her skin. Tracing her freckles.

"You have constellations on your nose," he said lightly, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"And your cheeks…"he traced his fingers just below her eye. He lifted his other hand and gently cupped the side of her face.

"And a lonely star just here…" he dragged his fingers to the corner of her mouth before taking in a shaky breath and tracing her lips with the tips of his fingers.

"Kili…"she said, dropping her head. Pulling away. "We can't," her voice betrayed her though, and she knew it.  
"Why not?" There was so much hurt in his eyes, and his voice caught in his throat. "If you were to put aside everything, and leave only us, what would you want? What would you do?"

The silence between them rang out like bells.

"Close your eyes," she commanded softly. Kili complied.

She leaned up slightly and brushed the hair from his forehead and kissed the skin there. Already her lips felt as though every nerve was on fire.

She traced the lines of his face. It was a wonderful face. And it was wonderful for no other reason other than for the fact that it was his.

She rested her check against his jaw and gently rubbed the sides of their faces against one another. His rough stubble would taint her cheeks but she did not care for it felt intoxicating.

Kili opened his eyes and pulled ever so slightly away from her and traced the shell of her ear. She shivered at the contact and it gave him an idea.

As gentle as a summer's breeze, he leaned in and kissed her just below her ear. She sighed and relaxed further against him. Feeling brave, he delicately dragged his teeth over her earlobe. She knotted her hands in his hair, bringing him impossibly closer.

Her wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck. "Tauriel, amralime…"

His eyes were close to spilling over.

"Kili," she said, pulling him back up to eye level. "I cannot promise you anything-" she said. She was trembling.

He shook his head. "Oh, amralime, you have already given me far more than what any man deserves."

She tilted her head. He tilted his. They parted their lips.

Tauriel closed the small distance between them, and kissed Kili.

His mouth was surprisingly soft, and unbearably gentle. Tears leaked from her eyes and Kili stopped to wipe them away with his thumbs before placing another kiss on her bottom lip. Her lips parted further and he grazed his teeth across her sensitive flesh. She gasped and slightly pulled away, resting her forehead against his and gently dragging her nails across his scalp. Kili all but purred.

"I could do this forever," she whispered in a manner of utmost secrecy.

"Then let's," he said, his smile spreading from ear to ear, "you won't hear me complaining."

He pulled her into him and kissed the top of her head. This moment of peace wasn't a lot, but it was all they had. And for now, it was enough.

**A/N: I was very tempted to end this chapter off in the same fashion as the last one, but that would have been cruel, if not enjoyable (for me I mean). Thank you too all my reviewers, you guys are amazing.**

**I would love to hear what you think of my little story so far. I hope that you are enjoying it as much as what I enjoy writing it.**

**Xxx**

**Art of Words**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Loved**

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it isn't mine.**

**Tauriel**

"I must go assist the wounded," she said, sighing and pulling away from the warmth of Kili's chest.

"Alright," he murmured into her hair, inhaling her scent one last time. "I should go find Fili and the others; they would be wanting to leave as soon as possible..."

Tauriel's heart hiccupped, but she covered it up with a tight smile. "Find me before you leave," she said as she swiftly stood and walked away. She did not trust herself enough to stay with him for longer, for then she might never leave.

"Ta-", she heard him call after her, but she opted for disappearing into the crowd of people, than to face him with unshed tears in her eyes.

Xxx

The sun was halfway to the centre of the sky before she took notice of the time. She had already treated a magnitude of minor injuries (mostly burns) and was presently dressing a leg wound of a small child. The little girl could not have been more than five years of age, but she had lost both of her parents and younger brother in the flames. Tauriel saw herself reflected in the child, which made it all the harder.

"What is your name?" she asked.

"Edith," replied the little girl, chewing shyly on her sleeve.

"My name is Tauriel," said Tauriel as sweetly as she could. She had dealt with orphaned elflings before, but this human child seemed more…fragile.

"Are…are you an elf?" asked Edith softly.

" I am," said Tauriel as she tied off the dressing on the girl's leg.

"Could…could I touch your ears?" Tauriel found it to be a strange requested but allowed it, to be perfectly honest the girl could have asked anything of her and she would have gone along with it.

Edith reached up and touched the very tip of Tauriel's right ear, and she giggled. The girl's laughter was infectious and Tauriel chuckled as well. Sitting back down the girl said "I've never met an elf before."

"Well, I can't recall every having met such a sweet young lady before," Tauriel said, tapping the point of Edith's nose. The girl giggled again.

Tauriel could not believe how well she was coping with everything, proving to her yet again that children are the most resilient of beings, regardless of race.

Looking around, she saw a middle aged woman handing out blankets and water. She had an air of leadership about her and Tauriel decided that this woman seemed capable of looking after a small child.

"Come on," she said as she picked Edith up with ease. The girl could have walked on her own, but Tauriel felt indulgent.

"Excuse me," said Tauriel as she approached the woman.

"Yes, love?" asked the woman as she turned around. Looking at the child who clung to Tauriel's neck she asked, "And who are you, little one?"

" I am Tauriel of the Woodland Realm and this is-"

"- Edith" supplied the little girl. Both women smiled.

" I was wondering if you could see to it that Edith is well looked after?" the look in the other woman's eyes showed that she understood, this child had no one else.

" Of course!" she exclaimed, not wanting Edith to pick up on their solemn exchange.

Setting the girl on the ground, she knelt before her so that they were eye level. "Now, this lady in going to look after you. Okay?"

"Where are you going?"

"I'm…" Tauriel suddenly realized that she didn't in fact know the answer. "I have to leave."

The girl looked at her as though this wasn't an acceptable answer.

"Here," she said as she removed a beautiful cloak clasp from her pocket "you keep it." She said as she pinned it to Edith's dress. The little girl looked at it in awe. Looking Tauriel dead in the eye with a very serious expression she said "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Tauriel chuckled softly as she pulled the blanket tighter around her small frame.

"Be brave, Edith."

"You too, Tauriel."

Xxx

Tauriel found Tilda and Sigrid in the throng of people, and was shocked to find that they hadn't been reunited with their brother and father yet. "We will find them soon, I promise you," she said as she guided them through the crowds. "I saw them in your absence, they are here somewhere."

Looking over the destruction and people, she could feel a presence next to her, Kili. He had come to say goodbye after all.

"Tauriel," he breathed. Already the moment was far too intimate for what their surroundings allowed.

"Kili!" she heard his brother scream. "Come on, we're leaving."

"They are your people, you must go," she said as she slipped into her cool and calm demeanor. The demeanor of any proper elf. The demeanor of the captain of the guard. Head held high, but heart fraying at the seams, she walked away.

"Come with me," he said, sounding as though he's never been so adamant of anything in his life. Tauriel could not help but turn around.

"I know how I feel, I'm not afraid. You make me feel alive," he finished with his beautiful smile upon his face. The smile he reserved just for her.

"I can't..."she said, having to turn away from his beautiful face for it was breaking her heart.

"Tauriel," he said, wrapping his fingers gently around her forearm. "Amralime…" There was that word again, the word that made her skin tingle and heart swell. She did not know what it meant, but by the way in which he said it, as though he was saying something fit for her ears only, she could guess. But, reality was catching up to her, and she wouldn't be able to acknowledge his beautiful word, or say one to him in turn. It would not be fair to give him hope, where there was none.

"I don't know what that means." He smiled a smile that suggested that he could see right through her, and even though she would not admit it, she was glad that he did. "I think you do."

"Kili, come on!" cried Fili, she was sure that Kili had heard him, but he did not show it. She took a small step closer to him. And then froze.

She felt a presence behind her. Legolas. Never before had she felt irritation at Legolas' presence more acutely than what she did at that very moment.

_"__My Lord Legolas," _she said, voice crystal clear and elvish posture perfect.

_"__Take your leave of the dwarf. You are needed elsewhere." _

Looking at Kili, she could see that although he could not understand Sindarin, he knew what Legolas had said. He held her eyes until she began to turn away. He nodded slightly, and turned around. She kept her gaze fixed to him, and was surprised when he stopped, spun around and took her hand in his. With his other hand, he placed something in her palm and wrapped her fingers around it.

Wrapping her hand in both of his, he held it to his chest. She could feel his heartbeat.

"Keep it, as a promise." They held each other's gaze for a sweet second before he pulled away and ran to the little row boat.

Looking down and opening her hand, she saw his mother's runestone sitting in her palm. _Oh Kili. _A lump formed in her throat and it felt as though her heart was in a vice.

She blinked several times to clear her eyes.

Sniffed.

And watched the love of her life leave her, never having told him that she loved him too.

xxx


End file.
